Shantung Compound

Shantung Compound is Langdon Gilkey’s firsthand account of his nearly three years as an internee in a Japanese-run camp in Shantung Province, China, during World War II. The book details the daily struggles, moral dilemmas, and social dynamics among a diverse group of Western civilians—missionaries, teachers, businesspeople, and families—forced to live together under harsh conditions.

Gilkey, drawing on his extensive diaries, reflects on human nature, community, and the limits of idealism when societal structures collapse.

The narrative is both a personal memoir and a philosophical inquiry into how people behave when stripped of rank, privilege, and external support, offering enduring insights into cooperation, self-interest, and the search for meaning in adversity.